Apparatus for loading rails and ties



April 20, 1937'. I E1 R B EAKER 2,077,738

APPARATUS FOR LOADING RAILS AND TIES.

Filed April 30, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. Ema/z Q. fireaker April E. R. BREAKER 2,077,738

APPARATUS FOR LOADING RAILS AND TIES I Filed April 30, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 N R? Q I m N z 1.. Y; 15.- Q j \I Q 0 Q :l m o 9 o E :l 7

|\ l J j K AgA Q j N 00 w E j LI u L |"l 1 u/u u U INVENTOR. Erna/f A2. fireaker Patented Apr. 20, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in apparatus for loading rails and ties.

Temporary railroad tracks are laid for various 5 purposes and it has been found that after serving their purpose, the rails and ties are still in good condition and it has been found profitable to salvage these rails and ties which comprise the temporary track. However, the expense and labor involved has almost made it prohibitory to salvage the rails and ties, because of the difficulty experienced in loading said rails and ties onto cars for hauling.

One object of the invention is to provide improved apparatus for quickly, expeditiously, and inexpensively loading rails and ties ontorailway cars.

Another object of the invention is to provide improved apparatus for loading railroad ties onto railway cars which includes a conveyor extending from the roadbed where the ties to be loaded are positioned, to a desired railway car which may be connected at any point in the string of cars comprising the train. I

An important object of the invention is to provide improved apparatus for loading rails onto i railway cars which includes a guide mounted on the end of the car closest to the rails to be loaded, and means arranged to be attached to the rail to be loaded for pulling said rail through the guide onto the cars. 7

A further object of the invention is to provide improved apparatus for loading railway ties which includes an overhanging or cantilever type conveyor which is mounted above the cars of the train, whereby the ties may be carried over any number of cars and deposited on any desired car in the train.

A construction designed to carry out the invention will be hereinafter described, together with other features of the invention.

| The invention will be from a reading of the following specification and by reference to the accompanying drawings, in

which an example of the invention is shown,

and wherein:

Figure 1 is an elevation of a train of cars having rail and tie loading apparatus, constructed in accordance with the invention, mounted thereon.

Figure 2 is an enlarged partial elevation of the rear car.

Figure 3 is a plan view of the same.

Figure 4 is an enlarged end elevation of the tie conveyor.

more readily understood Figure 5 is a vertical sectional view, taken on line 55 of Figure 4, and,

Figure 6 is a detail of the conveyor gearing.

In the drawings the numeral I0 designates a train including the locomotive ll, flat cars l2, and gondola car l3. The train may include any desired number of cars and of any type, but for purpose of illustration I have shown two flat cars and one gondola car, but it is to be understood the invention is not limited to the number of cars in the train.

When a railroad track is being dismantled, the rails are taken up in sections, and it is the purpose of the invention to run the train immediately ahead of that section of the track which is being dismantled. The entire loading mechanism for loading the rails onto the flat cars is mounted on a rear car l5. This car has a rail guide l6 secured to its extreme rear end at one side thereof. The guide is formed of a section of channel iron which is bent upon itself at right angles so as to form a depending leg l1. It is pointed out that the bend in the channel bar is curved thereby eliminating a sharp corner.

A cable I8 is positioned to travel within the guide l6, and travels forwardly of the train, and passes over a pulley I9, which is preferably mounted at the forward end of the flat car on which the rails are to be loaded. After it passes over this pulley the cable extends rearwardly and is secured to a winch head or drum 20 which is driven by a suitable motor or other power unit 2|. The cable I8 is provided with a hook 18 at its end and this hook is engaged in one of the bolt holes M of the loosened section of the rail l4. By starting the motor 2| it is obviousthat the cable will be wound around the drum 20 and will pull the section of rail l4 upwardly through the guide It on to the rear fiat car 15. Further, rotation of the drum 2|] will pull said rail onto the next car.

The motor is then stopped and the cable disconnected from the rail. The cable is then un- Wound from the drum 2ll, and is connected to the next section of the rail which is to be drawn onto the cars. It is pointed out that the channel bar l6 provides a simple guiding means for the rails, as they are pulled onto the car l5, whereby rails are held in alinement with the cable and a direct pull by said cable is had. Further, the guide will take all the wear caused by the rails being pulled therethrough.

When the rails have been removed from the ties and loaded onto the cars, as hereinbefore described, it is then necessary to load said ties onto a car which must necessarily be ahead of the cars on which the rails are loaded. For loading the ties on the proper cars I provide a conveyor 22. The conveyor is supported above the cars by a suitable structure 23 which is secured to the sides of the cars. This structure may comprise a plurality of vertical standards 23 which have their lower ends supported in the usual stake pockets 24' which are provided on the sides of each car. ards in the usual stake pockets, it will be seen that the conveyor structure may be readily assembled or disassembled on any ordinary flat car. bars 24 (Figure 4) which are positioned in the same horizontal plane to form achannel therebetween, said bars being supported by the structure 23. Rollers 25 are mounted between the bars 24 in bearings 26 which are secured to the underside of said bars and an endless belt 21 passes over the rollers. The channel bars may be the entire length of two or three cars or they may be made in sections of one car length. However, if they are made of one continuous piece the rollers 25 are positioned so that each belt 21 extends only the length of one car. The rear section of the conveyor 22 is inclined downwardly so that its lower end is adjacent the railroad track. To provide for all the belts being driven in unison and from a center power unit the shafts of the rollers 25 carry gears 28 on their outer ends. The gears 28 are connected together by a pinion 29 (Figure 6), and it is obvious that motion is imparted from one gear to the other. By employing the gears and pinion it is possible to obtain a drive connection between the in.- clined section of the conveyor and the horizontal section'whereby the belts 2Tin each are driven together; The provision 'of-- the gears and pinions also permitstthe,;connection tobe made between the rollers 25of individual sections, when individual sections are erected over each car. When the structure is made in sections, the

pinion 29 may be carried by either section (Figure 6).

"In loading the'ties;said ties-'are'placed lengthwise on the belt'2l'in the channel formed-between the bars'24" of therear section 22 of the" conveyor. The belt' is then put into motion by"- any suitable drive mechanism 30 which may be" connected to one of-thegears28, and the-ties will travelup the'inclined section of the conveyor, and then along the'straight portion of said 'con' veyor, and then carried to any desired car which might be positioned in thetrain; -It'is pointed out that regardless of the number of cars in the? train the structure 23 can be secured on an the cars; whereby the conveyor may be anydesired length. It is of course necessary to remove the ties from'the conveyor and stack the same in the' car in which it is desired to load them. W

By placing the ties on the conveyor in a length- Wise position, it is not only easier to unload the-- same butit aids in stacking the ties lengthwise By mounting the stand- The conveyor comprises a pair of channel in the car, as is required by some railroads. A single power unit may be employed for operating the cable and the conveyor, and it is noted that this unit can be permanently mounted on a single car. This car can also carry the guide l6 and the inclined section of the conveyor 22 whereby this car may be used in every' loading operation and it is only necessary to substitute empty cars for the loaded ones.

Although I have shown the conveyor in one section, it is again pointed out that said conveyor may be made of sections the length of one car. By using the several belts 21, it is not only possible to make the turn between the inclined section and the horizontal portion of said conveyor but a more substantial conveyor is provided than if one continuous belt were employed.

It'is clear that while the rails and ties of one section of the carare being loaded, the next section which is immediately under the rear car can be dismantled, that is, the bolts may be removed-so that when the train is moved, the rails and ties are ready to be loaded, thereby saving time and speeding up the work.

The description whichhas been given recites more or less detail of a particular embodiment of the invention, which is set forth as new and useful; however, I desire it understood that the invention is not limited to such exact detailsof construction, because it is manifest'that changes- A railway track loading apparatus including,

a railway flat car, an angular rail guide at one end of said car, a cable travelling within said guide for pulling rails onto the carthrough said guide, a-superstructure built on said car, a pair of horizontal channel bars supported on said superstructure, an elongate inclined member extending from the end of the channel bars downwardly to the railway track; a belt conveyor within the inclined member and the channel bars, a common driving means for operating the conveyor and the cable, whereby rails and ties may be removed from the track simultaneously, a second railway flat car having stake pockets on its' sides,- -a superstructure supported .in said pockets, a pair of horizontalchannelbars carried by the superstructure, said bars being in alignment with the channel bars ofthe first car to form a continuation-thereof, a conveyor belt within the channel bars, a gear carried by the end of the bars on the first car and rotated by. the travel of the belt conveyor, a similar gear carried by the end of the channel .bars above. the second car for driving the conveyorbelt ERNEST R. BREAKER. 

